Bill > HB344

This bill modifies New Hampshire's existing law regarding absentee ballot handling by allowing election officials to open the outer envelopes of absentee ballots up to one week before election day, instead of only on election day. Specifically, the moderator or their designee can open these outer envelopes in a public setting with advance notice, but with an important restriction: the actual ballot inside must remain sealed within its inner envelope. The outer envelopes must be securely stored until they are processed according to existing state procedures. This change is intended to help election officials begin preliminary ballot verification earlier, potentially reducing workload and delays on election day, while maintaining the integrity of the voting process by ensuring ballots are not prematurely accessed. The bill will take effect 60 days after its passage, giving local election offices time to prepare for the new procedure.

Government Affairs

https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/bill_status.aspx?lsr=0661&sy=2025&sortoption=&txtsessionyear=2025&txtbillnumber=HB344